HOPE | Techfest, IIT Bombay

What is Mental Health?

According to the World Health Organization, mental health is "A state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community".

Many people feel being happy or successful correlates to good mental health. While happiness and success contribute to good mental health, there is a lot more to mental health. People with good mental health are able to cope with the stresses of life and adverse circumstances. They are able to be calm, focused, and do work productively. They can handle their relationships and emotions effectively. They usually have a higher emotional quotient. This also corresponds to overall well-being.

There are several physiological factors that contribute to good mental health; the foremost being a healthy diet with a good balance of nutrients. The starting point for negative mental health is inadequate sleep and improper diet. Food, water, and rest are essential ingredients to keep our mind and body in the best shape. In addition to this, physical activity or exercise promotes sound mental health.

Psycho-social factors or triggers are an important environmental contributor to good mental health. Talking to close ones about your feelings, having a social connection, taking a break are all positive contributors for your well-being. Showing gratitude towards every little thing in your life that makes you happy and caring for your loved ones can be very therapeutic, too.

Under the initiative HOPE, we strive towards building a society where people do not feel hesitant while sharing their feelings and emotions and people are more responsible and receptive to issues related to mental health.

Words from Experts

Loss of Loved ones during Pandemic and its Impact on Mental Health

Many people are experiencing grief during the COVID19 pandemic. It is very hard to accept when loved ones die due to pandemic because their death was possibly sudden and you might feel overwhelmed and unprepared this will bring additional challenge, Working through the grief process is difficult whenever we lose someone close to us. Dealing with the loss of a loved one at any time is distressing but coping and healing after a death related to the COVID 19 is even more complicated and this pandemic makes even more worsen, Grief is a normal response to a loss during or after a traumatic event, Grief can happen in response to the loss of life, some people may experience multiple losses during a pandemic. People who have lost loved ones will have to contend with the additional trauma of not being able to give them a proper “Send-off”, as funeral changes dramatically in the short period. Adapting or accepting the new changes itself is a great challenge, This loss could have been compounded by not being able to be with the person whom you love when they die, You might be angry, frustrated or upset not to have had the chance to say goodbye in person or to be there when your loved one passed, Lack of social support, Social distancing and important of lockdown restriction affects the physically venting out and mourning one's emotion, Sometimes even friends, relatives or neighbors might feel very guilty when they are not able to participate or be with their loved ones during their hard times, Also due to stay at home orders and shutdowns the usual ways we coping up with stress- hobbies, self-care, shopping, or physically being with family or friends is not possible.